Chapter 1642: Refined Saint Stage Powerhouse
It was apparent that this was a Saint Stage powerhouse since the person was able to fly in the sky above the capital of the Windfall Nation.
Furthermore, given his guts to hover in the air above the Situ Clan residence and said that he's looking for the Situ Clan's Situ Hao so arrogantly, this was no ordinary Saint Stage powerhouse. Otherwise, he would not have dared to be so overbearing.
Just when the man in black's voice took the entire the clan by shock, an enraged, hoary voice resonated from afar. "Who the hell dares to intrude my Situ Clan so recklessly?!"
After a while, an old man appeared in front of the newcomer.
This old man had a strong build with white hair and a ruddy complexion. His gaze with which he stared at the man in black was filled with coldness. "And look at you, wearing a mask and trying to play the devil!"
After the old man appeared, the black-clad old man who was wearing the grimacing mask asked nonchalantly, "Are you Situ Hao?"
The old man's white hair was tied behind, making him look rather sagely. His entire body also oozed with a sense of spiritual aura.
The old man with white hair and ruddy complexion did not answer the man in black but asked in a deep voice instead, "Who are you actually?"
The moment the old man's words left his mouth, the man in black snarled in a deep voice, "How noisy!" Then, he raised his hand and did nothing more.
At once, vast tremendous energy caused the air to vibrate like a stone making a calm lake ripple before pressing towards the old man. After a while, it soon crashed upon him.
At the same time, True Origin rose from the body of the old man whose face had turned grave.
From the aura his True Origin emanated, it was apparent that he was not an ordinary Saint Stage powerhouse.
Boom!
However, in the face of the man's strength, just when the old man's True Origin had just started to rise, the latter was crushed mercilessly like a dried branch being pulverized.
At that instant, the old man's body trembled and was sent flying away with a mighty blast. Only when he had flown 100 meters away, he finally skidded to a halt forcefully.
"R-Refined Saint Stage! W-Who are you really?" Throwing up a few mouthfuls of fresh blood, the old man was so miserable that he seemed to have transformed from a sage into a beggar. He cast a gaze on the man in black, now filled with dread that rose from the bottom of his heart and soul.
Before the man in black opened his mouth, another voice resonated, "Ancestor!"
Then, a middle-aged man appeared. Situ Hao, the Situ Clan Leader had now revealed himself.
From the way Situ Hao addressed the old man, it was apparent that he was the ancestor of their Situ Clan.
"I'm going to ask once more. Are you or are you not Situ Hao?" Even though the man's face was blocked by the mask, his cold and aloof pair of eyes were still exposed. When he looked at the Situ Clan's ancestor, it made the latter feel as though he had fallen into a thaw hole.
"Senior, I'm Situ Hao!" Upon seeing their ancestor injured so severely, even though Situ Hao could sense that this newcomer appeared with ill intentions, he could only toughen himself and face it.
His heart, on the other hand, was filled with puzzlement and questions. "According to my ancestor's words, this man in black who's wearing a mask is actually a Refined Saint Stage powerhouse. That's right. The ancestor is already at the Peak of the Pristine Saint Stage now. Only a powerhouse who's on the Refined Saint Stage and above could injure him to such a level in just the blink of an eye."
The moment Situ Hao thought of this, he could not help but be washed with a sense of bafflement.
Even in the Windfall Nation's Imperial family, there were not many Refined Saint Stage powerhouses.
In the Windfall Nation, other than the few people in the Windfall Nation's Imperial family, only the Sect Leader Zi Yun from the Drift Blaze Sect was a Refined Saint Stage powerhouse.
There were various grades and ranks on the Saint Stage too.
After breaking through the Saint Stage was the Pristine Saint Stage. The Pristine Saint Stage was further divided into four different phases: the Elementary Pristine Saint Stage, the Intermediate Pristine Saint Stage, the Mastery Pristine Saint Stage, and the Peak of the Pristine Saint Stage.
After the Pristine Saint Stage was the Refined Saint Stage. Such a powerhouse would usually exist in a sixth-rated force.
Of course, some of the seventh-rated forces would have a Refined Saint Stage as well.
The Drift Blaze Sect was an example of such a seventh-rated force.
Even if there were only one of such powerhouse in the seventh-rated force, the force would still be able to become eminent and stand first on the list.
Situ Hao himself was an Intermediate Pristine Saint Stage and could not be compared to their the Situ Clan ancestor, let alone the Refined Saint Stage powerhouse who was even more powerful than the latter.
"Are you Situ Hao? The current Clan Leader of the Situ Clan?" asked the man in black, casting a nonchalant glance at Situ Hao.
Due to the reason that he was wearing a grimacing mask, one could not see what kind of expression he was currently wearing. It was precisely this reason that Situ Hao felt anxious. He did not know why this Refined Saint Stage powerhouse was here in the Situ Clan looking for him.
"Yes." However, in the face of the re-inquiry of this man in black, Situ Hao did not dare to slack at all. Quickly nodding his head, he asked slightly anxiously, "I wonder if there's any reason for you to come all the way here to find me, Senior?"
At this moment, the Situ Clan ancestor, that old man with white hair and a ruddy complexion, had already stood by Situ Hao's side. However, when he looked at the man in black, his face was filled with trepidation. There was even a hint of horror in the depth of his eyes.
This man was just too powerful!
Even though he was a powerhouse at the Peak of the Pristine Saint Stage, he also had no energy to fight back in that second when that man made his move.
"He must be at the Intermediate Refined Saint Stage at least!" He was almost sure of this.
Right now at that moment, a figure stopped not far away in the sky. Not budging an inch at all, it was as though his feet were rooted to that spot.
This man was none other than Situ Hou, the supreme elder of the Situ Clan.
He had personally witnessed how their ancestor was crushed and heavily injured by that man in black. At that instant, he knew that he was merely an ant in the eyes of that man. At the same time, he was also so frightened that he could not move an inch at all. The strength of that man baffled him tremendously.
The man's strength elicited terror from his heart and soul!
"I heard that your the Situ Clan has an Interim Advisor called Duan Ling Tian, doesn't he?" asked the man in black again while looking at Situ Hao.
"Are you here to look for Master Duan?" Upon hearing the man's words, Situ Hao could not help but be shocked. It had never crossed his mind that this Refined Saint Stage powerhouse was actually here to look for the former Interim Advisor of their Situ Clan, Duan Ling Tian.
"Master Duan is no longer our Situ Clan Interim Advisor." Situ Hao smiled wryly.
"He's no longer the Interim Advisor of their Situ Clan? What do you mean?" The gaze of the man in black turned sharp and his voice had also become deeper. Besides that, he also emitted a bloodcurdling chilling aura, sending a shudder down Situ Hao's spine.
"To be honest, Master Duan has actually left the Situ Clan a few days ago." Situ Hao grinned.
"Left?" The man in black's voice became even deeper. "Where did he go?"
"Senior, it looks like you still haven't heard of the two pieces of news that have provoked discussions in the Windfall Nation lately, have you?" asked Situ Hao.
He could see that this man was worn out from his long journey and it was apparent that he had just arrived in the capital. In addition to that, it looked like he had come to their Situ Clan the moment he arrived. Besides, it was obvious that he did not know about the news that had become a hot topic in the entire Windfall Nation lately. Otherwise, he would not have come to their clan in the first place.
"What news?" asked the man in black impatiently.
Upon hearing the hastiness in the man in black's tone, Situ Hao was struck by panic. Then, not daring to slack, he hurriedly told him the details of the news.
Actually, what he shared was the incident after Duan Ling Tian had announced his departure from the Situ Clan.
Upon hearing this news, even the man could not help but narrow his eyes as well. "Duan Ling Tian has killed Lin Dong from the Lin Clan of the Southern Ridge Yuan Mansion? That strongest powerhouse on the Heaven Rankings?
"Furthermore, he managed to kill Lin Dong who made a breakthrough to the Saint Stage?" After learning about this, a hint of shock could also be seen in the man's eyes.
A Saint Rudiment Stage Martial Cultivator had killed a Saint Stage powerhouse?
Even though Duan Ling Tian was suspected to have performed a sneak attack, and that Saint Stage powerhouse had just made a breakthrough to the Saint Stage, Duan Ling Tian's strength still gripped him in astonishment.
"Is he even human?" This was the first thought that rose in his mind for he had never heard of such a person before in the Dao Martial Saint Land. The fact that he killed a Saint Stage powerhouse with the strength of a Saint Rudiment Stage was completely heaven-defying.
However, along with the other piece of news that entered the man in black's ears, the news of Lin Dong's death was quickly thrown into the back of his mind.
"A Devilseal Tablet? One of the Ten Great Saint Weapons on the Ten Great Saint Weapon Rankings? Did Duan Ling Tian use it to kill the two Saint Stage Devil Cultivators in an instant?" After learning that the Devilseal Tablet had shown up in this world again, the man's eyes lit up right away. His breathing also started to turn rapid.
Devilseal Tablet!
That was absolutely a piece of treasure!
"King Qian's estate?" After learning that the Devilseal Tablet had been taken away by King Qian, the man in black turned and left. It was as though he had disappeared into thin air in front of Situ Hao's eyes.
After the man in black left, Situ Hao heaved a long sigh of relief.
Right then, cold sweat was breaking out on his forehead continuously.
Because King Qian's vow by the thunder penalty oath that he did not receive the Devilseal Tablet had not spread out yet, Situ Hao had not learned about the news that the Devilseal Tablet was not in King Qian's hands at the moment. Otherwise, he would definitely not tell the man in black that the Devilseal Tablet was in King Qian's hands because that would only seem like an attempt to lie.
Taking a deep breath, Situ Hao could not help but look at the old man with white hair and ruddy complexion before asking carefully, "A-Ancestor, is he really a-a Refined Saint Stage powerhouse?"
"He's a Refined Saint Stage powerhouse. He should be at least an Intermediate Refined Saint Stage!" The old man nodded his head with certainty. "I don't have any power to fight back at all when it comes to him. Only a powerhouse who is on the Intermediate Refined Saint Stage and above could give me such feelings."
"Intermediate Refined Saint Stage?" Upon hearing that, Situ Hao's heart gave a jolt.
In fact, even in the Windfall Nation's Imperial family, there was only one Intermediate Refined Saint Stage powerhouse, and he was already the most powerful person in the Imperial family.
Yet, the man in black just now was actually someone this powerful?
Just like the Pristine Saint Stage, the Refined Saint Stage was also categorized into Early, Intermediate, Mastery, and Peak levels, all of which had different strengths.
"I can't believe that I didn't manage to find Duan Ling Tian, but I managed to obtain an extra surprise instead. If I could get my hands on the Devilseal Tablet, even I would step on that old man underneath my feet. I, Jing Yuan, would then be able to replace him as the new leader of the Mountainshade Black Market's branch in the Windfall Nation!" When the man in black appeared above King Qian's estate, his heart was washed with a sense of excitement.